03 06AU The Lazarus Experiment
by NewDrWhoFan
Summary: It's "The Lazarus Experiment" with Rose... 10Rose.
1. Challenges and Changes

_Yes, at long last, the series continues! Thanks for your patience while I dealt (and deal) with a newborn and a two-year-old :)_

_Series 3 AU with Rose! This is a sequel to my stories, "The Girl in the Stalking Spaceship", "Age of Bronze", "Lantern Extinguished", "Gravity Schmavity", "Love and Monsters", "Show Her, Tell Her", "Ghost of a Chance", "Doomsday Averted", "Runaway Bride", "The Smiths and Miss Jones", "The Shakespeare Code", "Gridlock", "Daleks In Manhattan", and "Evolution of the Daleks"._

_Thanks much to GSRgirlforever for beta'ing!_

_Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise, I don't own Doctor Who. Nor do I get anything from writing these stories--except wonderful, constructive reviews! Wink, wink; nudge, nudge ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 1, Challenges and Changes**

Martha followed Rose and the Doctor into the TARDIS, closing the doors behind her on Old New York. As she turned to make her way up the ramp, she saw the Doctor make yet another failed attempt at retrieving his sonic screwdriver from Rose's back pocket.

Rose spun around just in time to thwart him. "Give it up, Doctor," she said, laughing. "I told you, this one's mine, an' you're not gettin' it back."

The Doctor took a sudden step towards Rose, prompting her to jog quickly to the far side of the console. "That almost sounds like a challenge, Rose Tyler," he informed her, "and you know I can't resist a challenge."

Martha couldn't help but smile at their antics.

"It's not a ch--" Rose cut off with a shriek as the Doctor darted around the console more quickly than Martha could believe. Once Rose had regained a seemingly safe separation, she continued, rather out of breath, "'S not a challenge, simple fact."

The Doctor just grinned, and charged towards her once more. At the last moment, Rose pulled the sonic from her pocket and dropped it down the front of her shirt, hands defiantly planted on her hips.

Whether this had the desired effect or not, Martha was unsure. She was, however, certain that she'd never imagined either of the pair could turn as deep a shade of scarlet as they were currently displaying. The Doctor had brought himself up exactly one foot short of Rose, and was back to making the goldfish face he denied he ever made. Rose was stubbornly unmoving, despite her obvious embarrassment at her own actions.

Martha would have liked to see how long they would stay like that, left to their own devices, but her laughter instantly broke the mood. Rose and the Doctor both jumped and turned to look at her, then Rose used the distraction to quickly scamper out of the console room.

Still laughing, Martha followed Rose. She paused just long enough to tell the Doctor, "I think you'd just better find that spare," then headed off to get a shower and some sleep.

Several hours later, Martha awoke to the now-familiar sound of the TARDIS in flight. She threw on her clothes, and made her way back to the console room. She arrived just in time to watch the Doctor and Rose bring the ship to a halt.

"There we go, perfect landing," said the Doctor to Rose, moving to check the monitor. "Which isn't easy in such a tight spot," he added.

"You should be used to tight spots by now," Martha teased, causing the pair to notice her for the first time. "Where are we?" she asked, stepping fully into the room.

"The end of the line," the Doctor told her with a grin.

She looked between the two of them, then at Rose's encouraging smile, ran towards the doors. She paused before pulling them open. "For real, this time?" she asked the Doctor.

"No place like it," he answered.

She pulled the TARDIS doors open, and stepped out into familiar surroundings. "Home," she breathed. "You finally, actually took me home!" Tight spot was right. The ship was wedged into the only open space in her small flat.

"In fact," said the Doctor, as he and Rose exited behind her, "the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really."

Rose chuckled. "So long as it's hours, and not months," she added to Martha in a stage whisper.

"One time," the Doctor said, exasperatedly. "Am I ever going to live that down with you?"

"I wouldn't bet on it," Rose answered with a smile.

Martha looked around the flat in disbelief. Everything was exactly as she'd left it. It really was like no time at all had passed. "But all the stuff we've done - Shakespeare, New New York, dragons, old New York?" She let the question hang.

"Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking," answered the Doctor. "Everything should be just as it was." He looked around the room. "Books, CDs, laundry."

To her horror, Martha watched him pick up the knickers that were lying on the drying rack. She snatched them quickly from his fingertips, while Rose slapped his arm. "Oi! Boundaries?" Rose reprimanded.

At least he had the decency to change the subject. "So, back where you were, as promised," he concluded.

Martha took a deep breath. As much as she wanted--and needed--to get back to her life, it was hard to believe the adventure was over. "So, this is it?" she said.

"Yeah," answered the Doctor. "We should probably... um..." he glanced at Rose and took half a step back towards the TARDIS.

Rose, however, was not following his lead. "He's rubbish at goodbyes," she said to Martha, moving to envelop her in a tight hug. "You've got my number?" she asked.

"Yeah," Martha answered with a smile as she released her. "You've got mine?" Rose nodded, holding up her mobile as evidence. "Don't let me find out you're in the neighborhood without stoppin' by," Martha warned them both.

"We won't," the Doctor answered with a smile. "But we really probably should--"

He was cut off as Martha's phone rang, and the answering machine picked up. "I'm sorry," Martha apologized, over her own recorded greeting.

_"Martha, are you there?"_ asked the voice on the line. _"Pick it up, will you?"_

"It's Mum," Martha explained, hoping she'd make it short and not too embarrassing. "It'll wait."

_"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like,"_ her mother's voice continued. Martha sighed inwardly. _"I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."_

Ignoring the phone, Martha picked up the television remote and turned on the news. "How could Tish end up on the news?" she mused aloud as she watched her sister standing behind the speaker at a press conference. "She's got a new job," Martha explained to her guests. "PR for some research lab."

The speaker was just talking up whatever demonstration was planned for that evening. _"With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human,"_ he announced. Utterly disinterested, Martha switched off the television.

"Sorry," she said turning back to Rose and the Doctor. "You were saying you should...?"

"Yes, yes, we should," the Doctor answered, a bit distractedly. "Get going, that is."

'Thank you," Martha told them both. "For everything."

Rose seemed about to say something, but the Doctor spoke over her. "My pleasure," he said, still staring at the television over Martha's shoulder.

"Doctor?" Rose asked him.

He suddenly snapped out of his stupor. "No, I'm sorry," he said. "Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

An ominous voice in Martha's head whispered, _"One last adventure?"_

* * *

_To be continued._


	2. Hypothetically Speaking

_This chapter contains spoilers for the movie Superman II. I don't own Superman, either._

* * *

**Chapter 2, Hypothetically Speaking**

"Black tie, ya say?" Rose looked up from the invitation Martha handed her, grinning at the Doctor.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," he whined, hands deep in his trouser pockets, eyes closed tightly in feigned torment.

Rose loved to see him squirm, almost as much as she loved to see him in a tux.

"What's wrong with black tie?" Martha asked. "Other than the fact that I still need to buy some shoes to go with my dress..."

"What is wrong, Martha Jones," the Doctor informed her, opening his eyes to level a glare at Rose, "is that whenever I try and wear a tuxedo, something bad always happens."

"I doubt it's the outfit," Martha informed him. "That's just you."

Rose couldn't help a small laugh. "Besides, it's only been twice," she said. "An' maybe if you hadn't worn the trainers-"

"I love my trainers!" he objected.

Pointedly ignoring the Doctor, Rose asked Martha, "Where's your dress? I've prob'ly got some shoes on the TARDIS that'll work."

* * *

The Doctor cracked his knuckles and waggled his fingers dramatically over the keyboard before he set to work in earnest. Of course, he was the only one to appreciate the gesture, since he was alone in Martha's flat using her laptop while the girls were busy raiding Rose's closet and the TARDIS' wardrobe.

Oh, well. At least he might have an opportunity concentrate and get some real research done.

He started with the official record, simple internet searches for Lazarus Laboratories, Richard Lazarus, and so on. However, it wasn't long before he was typing with one hand and sonic'ing the laptop with the other, searching the unofficial record.

Despite his best efforts, he was still left with a surprising dearth of information when Rose and Martha emerged from the TARDIS ninety-seven minutes later. "All done playing dress-up?" he asked without raising his eyes from the computer screen.

"Yeah, for now," Rose answered.

He looked up then, and was surprised at the distinct lack of formal wear. Martha was carrying a pair of Rose's dress shoes (one of the sets they'd gotten from the thirty-fourth century-three-inch heels that allegedly were as comfortable as trainers), and Rose had a stack of DVDs.

"One last TARDIS movie-thon, we figured," Martha said, in answer to his glance at the DVDs. "I never got around to seeing Superman Returns last year, let alone these sequels, and Rose-"

"And Rose hasn't seen any of them. I'm detecting a pattern," he said. With an exaggerated sigh he conceded, "At least I can't complain that you haven't read the books first, this time."

Rose popped the first movie out of its case, setting up the player. "Not unless you expect us to read how many years' worth of comics?"

"Too many," Martha answered for the Doctor, sitting on the sofa. "But Doctor," she went on, "why d'ya even have DVDs?"

"With how easily you get bored, you need to ask?" he replied.

"No, why DVDs?" Martha asked again. "Why not, I dunno, some high-tech, futuristic data cube things?"

"Yeah, Doctor," Rose chimed in, "why do you have DVDs?"

"Well, they aren't. They weren't," he answered, continuing his work on the computer. "The TARDIS shifted the format for your sake, actually. Most of them were originally closer to Martha's 'data cube'."

The Doctor felt Rose walk up behind him to read the computer screen over his shoulder. "Find anythin' yet?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Still looking," he told her, tapping away at the keys. "For a twenty-first century, earth-based laboratory, they're surprisingly good at keeping their top-secret plans secret. Of course," he added, clicking on a window of particular interest, "all this defense funding might contribute to that."

"You want any help?" Rose asked.

"No, the reception's still our best chance to find things out." He looked up at her with a smile. "Enjoy your movies," he said.

* * *

The girls took a brief intermission after Superman the Movie, returning to the sofa with popcorn and sandwiches. The Doctor helped himself to a turkey on rye, but continued his work on the computer as Superman II played.

He was pulled from his search by Rose's laughter. "Good thing he's got a Make-Me-Human Chamber, then, yeah?"

"His dad really must've thought of everythin'," Martha agreed.

The Doctor just scoffed silently.

"What?" Rose asked.

He realized he must not have been as silent as he'd intended, as he turned to find both Rose and Martha staring at him. "It's just, you've been watching for a movie and a half, and that's the first thing that strikes you as the least bit odd?" he asked.

"Jus' said it was convenient," Rose defended good-naturedly.

"Oh," the Doctor continued, "not at all like a 'denser molecular structure'," he went so far as to make air quotations, "allowing him to fly, repel bullets, have heat vision or ice breath, or x-ray-"

"Alright, we get it," Martha interrupted, evidently annoyed.

"It's probably the most likely of all the sci-fi in that movie, and that's what you laugh at," he muttered, turning back to the laptop.

"Say that again?" asked Rose.

The Doctor looked back at her. "What? That a biology-re-writing device is more likely than gaining super powers from exposure to an alien star?"

"Yeah. That," Rose answered. "You mean that it's likely, or that it exists?"

"Not in some Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole," he replied, trying to hide his uneasiness as he both answered and dodged the question. "But, yeah, they essentially exist."

"What for?" asked Martha.

"Well, for one," he answered, gesturing towards the television, "sort of what the Man of Steel's using it for. Biological compatibility." The Doctor wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't ended this conversation already, and was deeply regretting the last several sentences that had left his mouth.

His regret was rewarded when Martha voiced exactly the topic he'd hoped to avoid. "So how 'bout Time Lords? Are you biologically com-" she cut off, eyes darting between him and Rose. "Never mind."

By silent agreement, all three suddenly turned back to their previous occupations, the girls watching the movie, and the Doctor focused intently on hitting keys on the keyboard.

Of course, he wasn't at all focused on which keys he was striking, he just thought the continuous clatter made a good cover for his embarrassment.

Not that he was embarrassed. At all.

Not that he spent any time worrying about biological compatibility, or contemplating giving up his Time Lord-ness, or altering a certain human's human-ness.

Not that he had a Chameleon Arch just inside the TARDIS.

The Doctor blinked a few times and managed to bring himself back to the present, resuming his fruitless search for more insight into Lazarus' grand experiment.

* * *

Rose was silent through the rest of the movie, and just nodded with a "Sure," when Martha suggested skipping straight to Superman Returns once it was over.

It was just a silly comic book movie, but their brief discussion had her paying much closer attention than was good for her. Despite how casual things still were between her and the Doctor, she was forced to quite suddenly realize, My boyfriend's an alien.

Of course, she wasn't at all shocked by the "alien" part of that statement. It was more the fact that she couldn't find any fault with the term "boyfriend". It was completely inadequate, yes, but it no longer implied more than they were to each other-except going so far as admitting it.

Which, naturally, left Rose empathizing with Lois Lane.

And really hating the end of the movie.

The film boiled down their relationship to not having a chance, since one, Superman was needed to protect the planet, and two, he'd have to be human if he were going to live a life with Lois (and, therefore, couldn't protect the planet).

And then he went and wiped her memory, which was just so wrong any way Rose looked at it.

Instead of actually watching the next film, Rose spent the time thinking about exactly why she and the Doctor were in no way as doomed as the couple on the screen.

Yes, she thought, the Doctor's needed to protect the universe. That's a given. But I'm not asking him to stop bein' a Time Lord or anythin'.

But would he want to?

She was startled by the thought, but then realized he was the one who'd brought up biological compatibility. It was more than she allowed herself to dwell on, but if he ever did want to get married or something...

It didn't matter, Rose decided. She loved him for himself. Yes, the TARDIS was a terrific bonus. And his knowledge and abilities were, admittedly, impressive. And the thought of marriage and a family was tempting, so long as it was with him. But none of it was necessary. She'd promised him forever, with no strings attached.

Risking a glance at the Doctor, she wondered if he knew that, whether he knew that it wasn't, forever so long as you've got the TARDIS. They'd been "stuck" together once before, and she'd told him it wasn't so bad, but did he know she'd pick him over the TARDIS? If she somehow had a choice between travelling all of time and space or spending her life with him, that she'd choose him?

"Rose?"

Martha's voice shocked Rose out of her reverie. "Yeah?" she asked, looking up.

"I said, d'ya wanna get dressed? It's about half an hour 'til we should leave, if we're walkin'," Martha told her.

Rose was surprised to see the credits rolling from the last movie. She hadn't seen any of it. "Sure, yeah," she said, getting up. Walking by the Doctor, she asked, "You comin'?"

"Hm?" he replied, still focused on the laptop.

"Time to get dressed," she said, grabbing his hand. The pronouncement itself would never have been enough to entice him away from his work, she knew.

* * *

The Doctor knocked on Rose's bedroom door, then stood fiddling with his cufflinks while he waited. He'd already wasted as much time as he could, double-checking the TARDIS' memory banks for Lazarus, then he had to give in and actually change into his tuxedo. Now, here he was, and he was still waiting for Rose to finish getting dressed.

He knocked again. "Rose?"

"Yeah?"

At least this time there was a response. "Time to go," he called through the door.

"Time machine," she yelled back at him in a sing-song voice.

"Paradox," he warned in the same teasing tone of voice. He smiled to himself, enjoying the banter.

After only a few moments, the door opened. Rose stood in the doorway wearing a knee-length, red and gold evening gown which he suspected belonged to the fifty-third century section of the wardrobe. Still, it should fit in nicely at the reception, assuming he would be the only one there who could place its year of origin.

That, and he couldn't imagine anyone spending too much time admiring the gown, considering the beauty who was wearing it.

His gaze swept over her, settling at last on her face, which was displaying a delightful blush. Not seeing any reason to hide his admiration, he reached a hand out to cup her cheek. "Lovely," he told her.

He watched as she gave him an appraising look, then smiled as she said, "Not bad, yourself."

He leaned in to press a (relatively) quick kiss to her lips, then offered his arm to escort her outside.

She took his arm, but held him in place, face suddenly serious. "Doctor," she began, then looked away, biting her lip.

He brought her face back up to his with a finger under her chin. "What, Rose?" he asked.

She took a breath, then said, "I told you before, stuck with you wouldn't be so bad." He nodded, remembering the conversation all too well. "Well," she went on, "I wouldn't have to be stuck. I'd pick you if I had to. Over the TARDIS."

To say the Doctor was surprised would be the understatement of the century. He was speechless. He'd hoped, but he never actually thought-what brought this on, he suddenly wondered.

"Right, well, shall we?" Rose asked, turning away and slipping her arm free of his to head quickly down the corridor.

He realized he hadn't made any answer to that wonderfully sweet declaration, and jogged a couple of steps to catch Rose's hand before she could disappear. Turning her towards him, he smiled, and said, "I'd choose you, too."

At her shocked expression, he realized whatever she had expected hadn't included any sort of reciprocation. He made a mental note to do some serious reassuring in the future. Perhaps along with a proposal. That might convince her that he really wasn't planning on leaving her, ever.

In the meantime, he settled for tugging her closer, bringing his free hand up to the base of her neck. He kissed her again, trying to let her know everything he should be telling her with words but wasn't quite ready to.

She seemed to understand at least some of what he was trying to say, because she grabbed a hold of his tuxedo jacket and deepened the kiss.

"Doctor!" Martha's voice came through the TARDIS' open doors.

The Doctor and Rose broke apart, a bit breathless, but both smiling. The Doctor offered his arm again, and this time Rose took it and walked with him back out into the flat.

Martha was standing in front of her television, dressed in her own evening gown. She had the remote in her hand, and was frowning at the screen.

"What's wrong?" asked Rose.

"It's an Easter Egg on the DVD," Martha said, gesturing at the screen. "Is this some sort of joke?" she asked.

The Doctor looked at the screen and saw himself, apparently carrying on a one-sided conversation. "Quite possibly." "'Fraid so." "Thirty-eight."

"Martha, turn it off," he told her, sternly.

"Why?" she asked, but did as he requested.

"Because, I didn't record that," he answered. At the disbelieving looks from Martha and Rose, he added, "Yet."

* * *

_To be continued._

_"Blink" was just so wonderfully timey-wimey that I couldn't resist another bit of foreshadowing. :)_


	3. Impressive Impressions

_Just a quick little update to let y'all know I'm still alive... enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 3, Impressive Impressions**

Rose watched the Doctor adjust his bowtie for the umpteenth time since they'd left Martha's flat. "Would you leave it alone?" she asked him, batting his hand away from his collar. "You look fine."

"I look like a penguin," he grumbled. Rose was almost surprised he wasn't dragging his feet.

"I think it suits you," Martha offered. "In a James Bond kind of way."

"James Bond?" the Doctor asked, derisively, but seemed to warm to the idea. "Really?

Rose sighed. "Martha, please, the ego?"

Both girls shared a laugh, very much at the Doctor's expense and to his obvious annoyance.

"Here we are," the Doctor announced suddenly, leading the way up to the rather impressive entrance to Lazarus Laboratories.

Rose squeezed his arm just a bit to let him know she was teasing, as they let Martha go ahead of them into the reception. The Doctor flashed the psychic paper as he entered with Rose, glanced over to her, and then winked, adjusting his bowtie yet again.

As they entered the main reception room, Rose eyed the large, white cabinet and pillars in the center. "Make-Me-Human Chamber?" she asked her companions under her breath.

Martha laughed, but the Doctor just shook his head. "Looks like some sort of... sonic microfield manipulator, maybe," he said.

He moved away from Rose to step closer to the machine, whatever it was, but was distracted as a tray of hors d'oeuvres passed by.

"Oh, look," he said, swiping a snack, "they've got nibbles! I love nibbles!"

It was Rose's turn to shake her head as he tossed the tidbit into his mouth, whole. Forgoing comment, she asked, "So, whaddya think it does?"

"Let's see if we can find out," he said, having made quick work of the snack. He slipped an arm behind her back and guided her over to where Martha stood speaking to another woman.

As they approached, Martha turned with a smile. "Doctor, Rose, this is my sister, Leticia," Leticia made a face before Martha continued, "but just call 'er Tish." As they shook hands, Martha added, "She's workin' in Lazarus' PR department."

"_Professor_ Lazarus," Tish corrected, "and I'm _head_ of the PR department, actually," she told her sister.

"You're joking," Martha said, obviously surprised.

"I put this whole thing together," Tish told her, indicating the reception.

"So," Rose interrupted, eager to avoid a sisterly catfight, "any chance you know what this thing does?" She nodded towards the chamber. "What'd you say it was?" Rose asked the Doctor. "A sonic...?"

"Microfield manipulator," the Doctor supplied, after quickly swallowing down another hors d'oeuvre.

Tish looked between the two of them, then something over Rose's shoulder seemed to catch her eye. Instead of answering, she muttered a hasty, "Sorry, if you'll excuse me," and disappeared into the crowd.

Rose turned to see what might have scared Tish off, but before she could locate any source of trouble, Martha exclaimed, "Mum!" and ran past Rose and the Doctor, enveloping an approaching woman in a tight hug.

"Guess that's Mum," Rose said quietly.

"Should think so," the Doctor agreed, as they followed Martha more slowly.

"You disappeared last night," Mrs. Jones was saying as they neared.

"I... just went home," Martha evaded.

"On your own?" her mother asked.

Instead of answering, Martha pulled Rose and the Doctor over. "Mum, Leo, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine. This is Rose," Rose shook hands with them both, "and the Doctor."

"Doctor what?" Martha's mother asked him after he'd shaken Leo's hand.

"Tyler," Martha answered quickly, at the same time Rose said "Smith," and the Doctor supplied, "Bond."

After an awkward pause, during which everyone looked at each other, then at the Doctor, Martha said, "Just, 'the Doctor', really...."

Their conversation was mercifully cut short, as someone tapped on their glass to silence the guests.

"Bond?" Rose whispered to the Doctor as they turned towards the center of the room.

"Shhh," the Doctor said, avoiding her eyes as he took her hand and used it to gesture towards the elderly man standing up to speak. He was the same person they'd seen on the news broadcast earlier.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the man began, "I am Professor Richard Lazarus, and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world which will be changed forever."

As Lazarus was assisted into the cabinet, Rose quietly asked the Doctor, "D'ya think we'll find out what it's s'posed to do _after_ the demonstration? Or 's it still gonna be a secret?"

The four pillars surrounding the cabinet began to spin, then rotate around the cabinet. Rose shielded her eyes from the bright, blue light they emitted. As they moved faster and faster, a klaxon sounded.

The Doctor immediately tensed, looking over to the computer bank that was controlling the experiment. "Something's wrong," he said, pushing his way through the crowd. "It's overloading!" The Doctor leapt over the computer bank, adjusting and sonic'ing the controls.

"Somebody stop him!" an elderly woman in the crowd ordered as the technicians fled from the sparking machinery.

Rose spun, and yelled back at the woman, "How 'bout helpin' him? He's tryin' to save your lives!"

The Doctor pulled a large cable free, and the pillars immediately began to slow their rotation. Martha moved to open the door to the cabinet as Rose helped the Doctor step clear of a tangle of wires.

Rose looked up as the crowd gave a collective gasp. Standing before the open cabinet was a much younger man than the professor who had entered.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he proclaimed, "I am Richard Lazarus. I am seventy-six years old, and I am reborn!"

"He did it!" cried the woman who had been chastising the Doctor. "He actually did it."

Martha rejoined them as the photographers captured the moment. "It can't be the same guy," she said. "It's impossible. It must be a trick."

"Oh, it's not a trick," the Doctor replied, eyes fixed on Lazarus. "I wish it were," he muttered.

"What just happened, then?" Rose asked, looking at the seemingly forty-something man, not really sure she wanted to know the answer.

"He just changed what it means to be human," said the Doctor.

* * *

_To be continued._


	4. Transformation

_This isn't nearly as stellar as I'd hoped it would be after, what, a seven month delay? But at least it should fit well with the other chapters. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 4, Transformation**

Martha looked in awe at the transformed professor. He practically skipped down from the platform and across the room.

"C'mon," said the Doctor, "let's see if we can have a word, shall we?" He and Rose started over towards Lazarus, but Tish caught Martha's arm and spun her around.

"What was that?" her sister asked.

"What?" asked Martha.

"Running into the middle of the demonstration!" Tish answered. "You and your friends could have ruined--"

"You more worried about your 'Professor', or about your PR job?" Martha broke in.

Satisfied at Tish's stunned silence, Martha made to join her friends. They had managed to corner Lazarus, who appeared to be making faster work than the Doctor of an entire tray of hors d'oeuvres.

"Martha," her mother called before she'd taken two steps.

"Yes, Mum?" Martha asked, sweetly.

"Don't give me that tone," Francine snapped. "What's going on, here?"

Leo joined in as her mother's questioning continued, then Tish found her voice again, "At least I've got a job," and just when Martha was ready to storm off, leaving them behind, she caught sight of Rose.

She was looking sort of wistfully at the Joneses, even as they tried to tear Martha apart. Suddenly, it hit her. Here she was, surrounded by her family. The family she'd run off and abandoned to travel with the Doctor; the family even she'd realized she'd left and might never see again. And Rose never _would_ see hers again. Martha met her eyes, and Rose gave her a sad smile.

Taking a deep breath, Martha turned to her mother. "What do you want to know?" she asked, as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rose and the Doctor leave the room.

* * *

Rose watched the monitor process the DNA sample as the Doctor continued thoroughly disinfecting her hand.

"Is that really necessary?" she asked. "He was just bein' polite."

The Doctor scoffed. "'Polite' does not entail slobbering all over a lady's hand."

"Slobberin'?" Rose asked. "You said yourself there was barely enough for a decent sample."

"Don't pretend you didn't see the way he was looking at you," the Doctor said, sparing Rose a glance while he reached for another towlette. "Almost four times your age," he muttered, "and he--"

"You're right," Rose cut in. "Much too young for my taste."

The Doctor looked up, disinfection apparently forgotten, a smile finally forming on his face.

Rose glanced aside, satisfied. Suddenly, the image on the monitor jumped. "Did that just change?" she asked.

* * *

"They're just good friends," Martha explained for what felt like the hundredth time.

"He's not one of your supervisors?" Tish asked.

"No!" Martha exclaimed. "They don't even work at the hospital. I... met 'em there when Rose was a patient. They're just friends, that's all."

Lazarus chose that moment to reappear, coming up behind Tish and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Leticia Jones," he greeted, paying absolutely no heed to the rest of her family, "I'd recognize the smell of that soap anywhere."

Tish smiled up at him. "Professor," she replied, dreamily.

Martha knew her disgust must be showing on her face, but really couldn't help it. Soap? What kind of a line was that?

"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen," said Lazarus, finally acknowledging the rest of the Joneses' existence, "you'll have to excuse me while I take care of Leticia here. I've been neglecting her."

With that, he led Tish away, off towards the lifts.

"Speakin' of supervisors... " Martha trailed off, watching them leave.

* * *

Rose stepped back shakily from the desiccated corpse of Lady Thaw. She had seen a lot of disturbing things in her travels, but she hadn't come close to becoming inured to death. She may not have found Lazarus up here, but she had a suspicion that she'd found his handiwork.

She was just turning to head over to the lift, intent on bringing the Doctor up from searching the reception, when the lift bell dinged and the doors slid open.

Lazarus and Martha's sister stepped out, then stopped, apparently startled to find someone already there.

"Oh, sorry," Rose demurred, "just lookin' for the loo." She tried to move casually around the couple towards the lifts. As she passed by Tish, she reached out for her wrist and whispered, "Come with me."

Unfortunately, Tish wasn't having any of it. "Let go of me," she said, jerking her arm away.

Lazarus seemed to guess what Rose had found, since he stepped in front of Rose, blocking her path. "Oh, no, my dear, why don't you join us?" he asked, cutting off her escape.

"What?" Tish asked him, clueless.

"Thanks," said Rose, "but I've really gotta go, so, if you'll excuse me...."

Lazarus dropped all pretense of politeness, "I'm afraid I must insist," he snarled as he lunged towards her.

"Tish, get out of here and get the Doctor!" Rose yelled, as she darted aside and wrenched open the door to the stairs. Rose ran full speed up the steps, with Lazarus right behind her.

"I'm not goin' anywhere 'til I get some kind of explanation," Tish called stubbornly up the stairwell.

* * *

Martha sighed with relief when she saw the Doctor step out of the lift. He was looking rather frantically around the room as he worked his way towards her.

Francine caught sight of him, and Martha could sense trouble coming from the look on her face.

"Ah, Doctor," her mother said as he approached.

Ignoring her, the Doctor asked, "Martha, have you see Lazarus anywhere?"

"Yeah," Martha replied, despite her mother simmering beside her."He was getting' cozy with Tish a couple of minutes ago. You just missed him. Why?"

"Know where he went?" he asked, whipping out his sonic screwdriver and walking right between the Joneses as he scanned the room.

"Doctor--" Francine tried again, but to no avail.

"Got him!" the Doctor announced, screwdriver aimed at the ceiling, just as Martha said, "Upstairs, I think. Why?"

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted, charging right past Francine and spilling her drink.

Martha couldn't imagine any good reasons for the Doctor to be acting like this, so she followed obediently.

They were pursued by Francine's indignant, "I'm speaking to you!"

How to explain that "Come on" meant that Tish was probably in life-threatening danger of some kind? "Not now, Mum!" was the best Martha could think of as she left Leo and her mother behind.

* * *

"Lazarus hacked into his own DNA," the Doctor explained to Martha as the lift slowly climbed. "He used the hypersonic waves to destabilize the cell structure, then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands, instructing them to rejuvenate."

"Okay, but?" she prompted.

"But, it's fluctuating," he answered. He pushed the button for the office floor again, wondering why he had followed Rose's suggestion to split up. Knowing her jeopardy-friendliness. . . . He double-checked the readings from the sonic. Lazarus was still above them.

"Still mutating?" Martha asked. He nodded. "Into what, though?"

"That's what we need to find out," he said, as the lift arrived and the doors slid open.

Martha's sister greeted them. In a manner of speaking. "I should'a known," she spat at Martha.

The Doctor side-stepped her, looking around the office. "Rose?" he called. He spotted what looked like a skeleton behind the desk, and moved quickly to investigate.

With a mix of relief and regret, the Doctor examined Lady Thaw's remains. From what he could gather, the life energy had been somehow drained. It made sense. Lazarus had suffered an energy deficit after the initial rejuvenation. Whatever was happening to him now must be an ongoing process, and one that demanded tremendous amounts of energy.

But where was he, and where was Rose? Not far from trouble, if he knew her. . . "Rose?" he called again, standing and resuming his search with the sonic screwdriver.

"Check the roof," Tish suggested, angrily.

"You alright?" Martha asked her sister as the Doctor made for the stairwell.

"I would be if you and your friends could keep your noses out of other people's business," Tish replied, icily.

As the Doctor stepped into the stairwell, he heard a door slam somewhere above him.

* * *

Rose ran out onto the roof, then quickly turned to hide behind the access door.

As soon as Lazarus followed her out, she ducked around back into the stairwell, slamming the door behind her and locking the handle. She leaned against the railing, catching her breath.

Almost immediately, Lazarus was pounding on the door from the other side. Then he stopped. "Oh, come now," he said through the door. "This won't hold me for long, you know."

"Yeah?" Rose asked. "Did killin' Lady Thaw somehow make you into Superman?"

Lazarus laughed. "Something like that," he said darkly, giving the door another shove.

Rose stepped away just a bit, but continued to prod for information. "Y'know, I was right there with you when you were celebratin' bein' young again," she said. "But you didn't just change 'what it means to be human', did you? Killin' so you can live longer? That's not human."

"But it is," Lazarus replied. "It's one of the most human traits. Survival of the fittest, perhaps you've heard of it?" He gave the door another shove.

"I'd rather live one short little life, than spend however many lifetimes in your definition of survival," Rose shot back.

To her shock and immediate relief, a hand took hers. She turned to see the Doctor at her side. "It's not the time that matters, Lazarus, it's the person," he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

Rose wondered if the Doctor knew how much she wished Lazarus' experiment had been without complications; that she could finally give in to her dreams of living as long as he did, of staying with him for _his_ forever. She wondered if he'd had the same wish.

"Ah, the mysterious Doctor," Lazarus replied. "But if it's the right person, what a gift. . . that would. . . be," he observed, echoing Rose's thoughts.

It sounded like Lazarus was gasping in pain, then a sickening sound of cracking bones could be heard.

"Or what a curse," the Doctor answered through the door. "What have you done to yourself?"

"You can't. . . judge me," Lazarus growled.

Lazarus banged on the door, but this time, the entire frame shuddered.

"Run!" the Doctor said, leading Rose back down the stairs.

A siren sounded, and a computerized voice announced, "Security breach. Security breach."

* * *

_To be continued._


	5. Narrow Escapes and Close Quarters

_Amazing what you can accomplish when the kids actually take a nap...._

* * *

**Chapter 5, Narrow Escapes and Close Quarters**

Rose ran out of the stairwell with the Doctor and back into Lazarus' office. Martha and Tish were having a less than friendly chat by the lifts. "Hi, there, Martha," Rose greeted, catching her breath as the Doctor made to call for the lift.

"Hi," said Martha.

The public address continued its announcement, "Security breach. Security breach."

Martha looked up at the nearest speaker. "That you two, then?" she asked.

"Nope, Lazarus," Rose answered.

"What about him," Tish demanded. "What did you do?"

"We didn't do anything," the Doctor answered, jabbing repeatedly at the lift button. "As Martha's most likely already explained, your lovely professor has gone a bit off the deep end, and is about to turn that reception of yours downstairs into his own, personal buffet." He stepped back from the lift. "It's not working. Must be the security."

A louder series of bangs sounded from the stairwell, causing Tish to nearly jump out of her skin. "Uh, an intrusion," she volunteered, visibly shaken. "It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits."

"He's gotta be breakin' through that door," Rose observed.

"The stairs," ordered the Doctor. "Come on!"

As they ran down the stairs, Rose could hear the door crash open above them.

As they made their way down to the level of the reception, Rose was almost startled to see how completely oblivious the rest of the partygoers seemed to be. The music was still playing, loudly enough to drown out both the security system's warnings and the growing clamor from the stairwell behind them.

The main entrance was just another level down, but Lazarus was quickly approaching.

"Tish," the Doctor asked suddenly, "is there another way out of here?"

She was looking at her reception with a semi-glazed look.

"Tish?" Martha prompted, with a forceful tug on the hand.

Tish shook herself and answered, "Um, there's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now."

The Doctor tossed his sonic to Martha. "Setting fifty-four," he instructed. "Hurry."

As Martha and Tish headed off across the room, Rose ran with the Doctor down to the center of the reception. "Our job to clear the room?" she asked.

The Doctor glanced back as another crash sounded from the stairwell. "Good a plan as any," he allowed, offering her a hand up to the platform in front of Lazarus' machine.

* * *

"Fifty-four, fifty-four," Martha murmured while she tried to get the right setting set on the screwdriver. Tish was hovering nervously at her shoulder, and she could just make out the Doctor and Rose's voices over the dinner music coming from the reception. At last, the sonic clicked into position. Martha gave a quick, triumphant laugh, just as screams sounded from behind them. She quickly applied the device to the door, hoping the Doctor's screwdriver would work on this particular lock.

It opened.

With a relieved sigh, Martha headed back to the now panicking guests. "Over here!" she called. "This way! Everyone downstairs, now! Hurry!"

Martha tried to look reassuring as the people began pouring out of the reception. Suddenly, Tish took her arm. "Mum an' Leo," she said. Martha hadn't seen them yet. Seeing that the guests were flowing quite easily through the open doorway, Martha ran against the current, back into the reception.

Martha caught sight of Lazarus as soon as she stepped into the main room. He had transformed, alright. Into some sort of mutant, scorpion, something-or-other. Tish froze at her side, but Martha quickly began scanning the rest of the room. Soon enough, she spotted her Mum, trying to help her brother up. Martha pulled Tish over to them.

"Martha," her Mum acknowledged gratefully as she bent down to help Leo.

"C'mon," Martha begged her brother as she quickly assessed him, "stay with me." From his sluggishness and the obvious lump on his head, it looked like he might be concussed, but shouldn't have any problems if they moved him. And considering Lazarus' proximity, it seemed that moving would be in all of their best interest. "Quickly," Martha said, "help me get him out of here."

Tish and her Mum lifted Leo by his arms, Martha was relieved to see him support most of his own weight. Martha led the way to a slightly more concealed corner of the room, while the Doctor and Rose distracted Lazarus.

"What're they doing?" asked Tish, as Martha tried to get a better look at Leo's pupils.

"They're trying to buy us some time," Martha answered. "Let's not waste it." She gripped her brother's head more forcefully. "Leo, look at me. Let me see your eyes." Sure enough, the pupils were already unevenly dilated. "He's got a concussion," Martha announced, looking around for supplies. She spotted an abandoned ice bucket. "You'll need to help him downstairs," she instructed her Mum and Tish while she filled a cloth napkin with ice. Pressing it into her Mum's hand, she told her, "This'll keep the swelling down."

Francine spared half a moment to roll her eyes, no doubt remembering all the times from Martha's childhood when she had to make the girl sit still for an ice pack.

"Go!" Martha ordered, quite aware that this was not the time for reminiscing. "I'll be right behind you!" she encouraged with a shove at her sister. "Tish, move! We need to get out of here!"

Martha checked quickly back in the reception room, not finding Lazarus (or the Doctor and Rose) anywhere in sight. She caught back up to her family and the Joneses finally made their careful way down the stairs, only to find renewed panic at the locked front doors. Someone was liable to get trampled if they couldn't open the doors soon, never mind the threat of the mutant professor at their backs.

Martha couldn't get to the doors through the crowd. "There must be an override switch," she mused, looking around. "Where's the security desk?" she asked. "Tish!" she demanded, when she caught her sister staring off at the locked doors.

"Right there," Tish pointed.

Martha spotted the desk, and moved quickly to try and override the security lockdown. Failing to find any clearly-labeled kill switches, she resorted to the sonic screwdriver, once again.

To her relief, not to mention the relief of all the trapped partygoers, the power switched on and the doors opened wide.

Martha left the desk to rejoin her family and escort them outside.

* * *

The Doctor cradled Rose to himself as they hit the floor, just narrowly escaping the blast in the laboratory.

"That got him," he proclaimed, helping Rose to her feet as soon as he'd assessed her for any possible injuries.

"D'ya think it killed him?" she asked.

Almost immediately, Lazarus roared, and the duo turned to run.

"More sort of annoyed him, I'd say," the Doctor admitted, firmly clasping her hand in his.

Rose was running with the Doctor, back in the main reception room, when the Doctor pulled her to a halt halfway across the floor.

"We can't lead him outside," he said, leading her back up to the capsule in the middle of the room. He opened the door for her. "Come on, get in," he encouraged.

"You're sure that's a good idea?" Rose asked. But before she could get a reply, Lazarus appeared at the balcony and she slipped quickly inside with the Doctor.

He let her step into his arms, and closed the door behind them

"Okay, so now what?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure he knows we're in here."

"Yeah, but this is his masterpiece," he countered. "I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us."

"You're betting," Rose echoed, but it seemed, for the moment, that the Doctor was right. She could just make out Lazarus' outline circling the chamber. "So, we're just trapped," she clarified.

"Well, yeah," the Doctor admitted. "That's a slight problem."

The Doctor maneuvered his right arm between them, aiming for the inside of his tuxedo jacket.

"Watch it!" Rose warned, as she barely avoided getting smacked in the nose by his wayward elbow in the tight quarters.

"Sorry," he apologized, searching inside his breast pocket. "Ah, Martha's got the sonic screwdriver," he remembered aloud as he withdrew his empty hand. He looked Rose up and down. She tried very hard not to blush, but couldn't help it when he asked, "And I don't suppose you brought your spare."

Biting her lip, she admitted, "Yeah, I did."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up, but he was quickly grinning enquiringly.

"Right," Rose sighed. "Hang on."

She tried--ineffectually--to turn her back, but soon gave up, maneuvering her own arm out of the Doctor's loose grip around her waist. She plunged her hand down the front of her gown, retrieved her sonic, and held it up in front of the Doctor's face.

In a pitiful attempt at hiding her embarrassment, she asked, "Well? Ya just gonna look at it, or have you got any ideas?"

She couldn't describe the look on his face.

Well, maybe she could, but really, now wasn't the time.

"Oh, lots of ideas," the Doctor replied. "But first things first...."

He snatched the sonic from her, slid awkwardly--but rather slowly, Rose thought--down to the floor, and pried open a panel.

* * *

_To be continued._

_Updates to follow much more rapidly, I promise. I've even already named the next chapter :)_


	6. Close Quarters and Narrow Escapes

_So many demands for quick updates; have some pity on my poor, overloaded beta, will ya? ;)_

* * *

**Chapter 6, Close Quarters and Narrow Escapes**

Rose tried to stay out of the Doctor's way as much as possible while he pulled and rearranged the wires in the base of the capsule, the buzz of the sonic screwdriver the only sound in the eerie silence. She almost thought it would be less awkward if she were perched on his shoulders, instead of him trying to reach around her ankles with his hair tickling the inside of her knee.

Suddenly, a bright light filled the capsule, along with a disturbingly recognizable hum. Definitely not the sonic.

"Doctor," Rose prompted, now sure that the machine had switched on, "tell me that's you doin' that?"

The Doctor lifted his head, listening. "Sounds like he's switched the machine on," the Doctor observed.

"Knew this was a bad idea," said Rose, rolling her eyes.

"Well," the Doctor defended, bending back to his task and inadvertently tickling her leg once again, "I was hoping it was gonna take him a little bit longer to work that out."

* * *

Out on the main steps, the crowd had begun to disperse while the injured remained behind waiting for paramedics. Leo was seated as comfortably as he could be, Tish helping to hold his makeshift ice pack in place.

Martha fingered the sonic screwdriver, making up her mind. "I've got to go back," she announced.

"You can't!" her Mum objected. "You saw what that thing did. It'll kill you."

"I don't care," Martha told her. "I have to go."

She made to do just that, but Francine grabbed her arm. "What are they to you that you'd leave your family; what is _he_ to you?"

"Mum, I told you, it's not at all like that!" Martha said.

Tish spoke up from her place on the stairs. "They were buying us time, Martha. Time for you to get out, too."

"I'm not leaving them," Martha insisted, and ran back in through the doors, ignoring her Mum's shout.

Martha's family was safe for the moment, but she couldn't leave her friends. She wouldn't be studying to be a doctor if she could just ignore other people's suffering--or jeopardy from mutant-scorpion-professors, as the case may be.

When she reached the main reception room, the demonstration chamber's pillars were spinning at full speed. She saw the transformed Lazarus by the computer banks, and could only guess where the Doctor and Rose had gotten to.

"Hey, professor!" Martha called.

According to plan, Lazarus looked up and caught sight of her.

Unfortunately, Lazarus looked up and caught sight of her.

"Right, sonic wavefield somethin'," Martha muttered. "Let's see how you like this!" She brandished the sonic screwdriver and activated it. Lazarus shrank back, as if in pain.

Martha's momentary joy was quenched when Lazarus roared and charged angrily towards her.

She spun to run and find cover, but Lazarus was too quick. He swiped at her, throwing her to the ground and knocking the sonic out of her grasp. Martha blinked to clear her vision, and quickly crawled after the screwdriver, seeing it come to rest behind an overturned table. She reached the table and closed her fist around the sonic, readying herself for Lazarus' death blow. However, the pitch of the machine suddenly changed, and a wave of light swept over the room.

When nothing else happened, Martha climbed out from her concealed position. She saw Lazarus, now in human form, lying naked on the floor. He was completely motionless.

Martha could hear muffled voices coming from the capsule, and was instantly relieved to discover where her friends had gotten to and that they were apparently alright. She climbed up the steps to open the door for them.

The Doctor straightened from where he had been crouched on the floor. "I must be a bit out of practice," he apologized to Rose.

Martha really didn't have the words. She wasn't sure where her mind had gone, except that it had decided to just switch off and deny that it had ever thought of going there.

Rose smiled at Martha. "Hey, there," she greeted.

The Doctor turned toward the open door. "Hello, Martha!" he greeted. "What are you doing in here?"

Martha shook herself. "Just wanted to get this back to you," she said, holding up the Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

"Thanks but I've got one," he said as he leaned back against the inside of the capsule, twirling the screwdriver in his hand before pocketing it. "I suppose Rose can have that one, though," he allowed. "Handy in a tight spot."

Rose squeezed past the Doctor to step out of the capsule and accept the spare sonic from Martha. "You alright?" Rose asked, motioning to Martha's face.

Martha reached up to feel her swollen cheek, her hand coming away with a trace of blood from where Lazarus had hit her. "Yeah," she answered. "Tried to use that on him," she said, indicating the screwdriver, "but I think I only made him angry." She turned to look at the professor, sprawled on the reception room floor. "What happened?" Martha asked.

"The Doctor reversed the polarity on the make-me-human chamber," Rose answered.

"'Reversed the'--" the Doctor sputtered. "I set the _capsule _to reflect energy rather than receive it," he clarified.

Martha couldn't help a small grin. "Just like with the make-me-human chamber," she observed, happily ganging up on him, once again.

"Alright," he allowed, "similar, yes, but I did _not_ get the idea from that movie."

The trio sobered as the paramedics arrived to deal with Lazarus' body. After Martha's small cut was treated, some clever application of the psychic paper allowed them to avoid any in-depth questioning, and they were left to go their own way as Lazarus was borne out to the ambulance.

As they exited the building, Martha quickly located her family. Tish was the first to see them, running up to Martha and enveloping her in a hug.

The Doctor greeted her Mum, as she approached. "Ah, Mrs. Jones, we still haven't finished out chat--"

She slapped him. "Keep away from my daughter," Francine warned, icily.

Martha pulled away from her sister, as Rose stepped in front of the Doctor. "Whoa, what was that for?" Rose asked, looking between Francine and the Doctor.

"Mum, what are you doin'?" Martha demanded, moving to intervene as she watched the Doctor out of the corner of her eye.

The Doctor had his hand on his cheek, but Rose pulled it away to examine the wound. "Ooh, that was a good one," Rose murmured.

"He is dangerous!" Martha's Mum told her. "I've been told things."

The Doctor shook his head at Rose. "You and your mothers, every time."

"Ya weren't even runnin' off at the mouth," Rose told him.

Martha focused on her Mum. "What are you talkin' about?" she asked.

Francine took her by the shoulders, trying to isolate her from her friends. "Look around you," she said, "nothing but death and destruction!"

Martha wasn't having it. "This isn't his fault," she told her. "He saved us, all of us!"

Leo spoke up, helpfully. "It was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place. I'd say, technically, it's her fault."

Before the blame could be passed any further, a crash sounded from just around the block, in the direction the paramedics had driven. Martha looked over to Rose and the Doctor. Definitely trouble, she thought, as the two glanced at her before running off, hand in hand, towards the sound.

Martha went to follow, but her Mum held her back. "Leave them," she ordered, desperately.

She could tell her Mum was only concerned for her safety, but Martha shook her head and followed after Rose and the Doctor.

As she rounded the corner, quickly catching the two up, Martha felt the charge of adrenaline, as well as a pang of guilt. She pushed it aside, instead calling out to her friends, "Why is it always one big chase with you two?"

Rose and the Doctor glanced at her, then nodded at each other, ridiculous grins in place. "Trouble-magnet," Rose accused, just as the Doctor shot back, "Jeopardy-friendly."

* * *

The ambulance came into view, obviously wrecked. Almost unsurprisingly, when they came around to the open doors, they found the paramedics' corpses, every ounce of life drained away.

"Lazarus, back from the dead," observed the Doctor. "Should've known, really."

He took out the sonic screwdriver, searching for Lazarus' fluctuating energy signature as he had earlier at the reception. "That way," he announced, as he got a lock. "The church," he surmised, glancing up at the building ahead of them.

He led the way, Rose and Martha close behind, as he followed the signal into the church and up towards the altar. There was Lazarus, human again, wrapped in an ambulance blanket.

The professor addressed them as they approached. "I came here before," he said, without looking up. "A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die, then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child, the sound of planes and bombs outside."

"The Blitz," Rose said.

"You've read about it," said Lazarus.

"We were there," the Doctor corrected him, as he looked around the church for a way to capture Lazarus.

Lazarus scoffed. "You're too young."

"So are you," the Doctor observed.

Lazarus laughed at that, but was soon gasping, obviously still suffering from the fluctuating mutation.

The Doctor studied the church organ while Lazarus was distracted. The acoustics should be just right, he thought, eyes climbing to the bell tower above them.

Lazarus went on, reminiscing about the Blitz and his lifelong pursuit of a defense against death.

The Doctor gave him half an ear, circling the professor to stand just outside of his peripheral vision. He caught Rose's eye, and glanced meaningfully at the bell tower. Rose gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, and began stepping backwards towards the stairway behind her.

"Avoiding death," Lazarus went on. "That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fiber of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more... successful." He cut off, groaning in pain.

"Look at yourself," the Doctor told him, all the while checking and double-checking his mental calculations. "You're mutating! You've no control over it; you call that a success?" Rose had backed closer to the stairway, Martha alongside her. This had to work.

"I call it progress," Lazarus answered him. "I'm more now than I was. More than just an ordinary human."

Rose nodded to the Doctor, and he gave her an answering nod. She was ready. He just hoped that he was, too.

"There's no such thing as an ordinary human," Rose told Lazarus, capturing his attention.

The professor looked over at her, then closed his eyes against another spasm. "I will feed soon," he told her, menacingly.

"Yeah," she said, "well, first you'll have to catch your dinner!" Rose turned and ran up the stairs with Martha close behind.

Lazarus snarled and, according to plan, ran off after the girls.

The Doctor lost no time in moving to the organ, quickly and carefully applying the sonic as he began to play. "Hypersonic sound waves," he mused. "Inspired." Lazarus' triumph would--hopefully--be his undoing.

* * *

Martha followed Rose up the stairs, wondering what on earth they were doing.

"Bet you're glad you borrowed those shoes, huh?" Rose asked as they spiraled higher into the church's bell tower.

"You an' the Doctor," Martha answered, "runnin' for your lives and crackin' jokes."

Rose paused ahead of her, as a loud groan from below turned to a deafening roar. "Did you hear that?" Rose asked, unnecessarily.

"He's changed again," Martha surmised. "Okay, okay," she shooed Rose ahead of her, "lead on!"

Martha realized someone was playing the organ. "That the Doctor?" She asked.

"He's even better on the piano," Rose answered, then staggered briefly as the tower shook. She regained her footing and continued as if nothing had happened. "I almost melted on the spot when I first heard him play the Moonlight Sonata." They both caught themselves in stride as another tremor hit.

"Sure is loud enough, Martha observed." The volume had been steadily increasing from when she'd first noticed his playing.

"Yeah," Rose agreed, "that's what you get for learning from Beethoven."

"So, what's his plan?" Martha asked.

"No idea," Rose admitted.

"Why'd you lead us up here, then?!" Martha gasped.

"I'm sure he'll think of somethin'," Rose deflected. "He always does."

Martha shook her head. "S'long as he doesn't cut it too close."

"But that's what makes it so fun!" Rose said, looking briefly back over her shoulder with a smile.

As they came to some openings in the upper levels, the organ music ceased and Martha could hear the Doctor calling from below. She took a moment's pause to look out through one of the archways. "Doctor?!" she called.

"Martha!" he shouted from below. "Take him to the top, the very top of the bell tower, do you hear me?!"

"Up to the top!" she acknowledged.

Rose called her back inside.

Martha turned to look up at her. "Up to the top, he said." Then, noticing Rose's face, she asked, "What?"

Martha looked down the stairwell, following Rose's gaze, and caught sight of Lazarus's approaching form.

The women turned and ran, as the Doctor's playing resumed in earnest.

They quickly reached the top of the bell tower. "Okay, Doctor," said Rose, as they looked briefly around the circular platform. There was nowhere to go from here. Nowhere but down.

"This is where he said to bring him," Martha said.

"Yep," Rose agreed, looking up to the ceiling. "The top." She looked down into the church below. "The very top."

"He knows what he's doing," Martha reiterated, trying to reinforce her faith in the Doctor with a bit of Rose's. "We have to trust him."

"Ladies," a horrid, hissing voice greeted them. Lazarus was there, blocking the only doorway to the tower.

"Yep," said Rose.

Things became a blur as Lazarus attacked, flailing his scorpion-like tail. Part of the wall splintered, and Martha was knocked aside. She reached out blindly as she felt herself slipping over the edge of the platform. She could hear Rose yelling, then screaming as Lazarus roared and charged again. Martha clung to the edge, her body now dangling freely.

Lazarus appeared once more, standing above Martha, poised to strike again. Suddenly, the organ music reached a point where the small space of the bell tower began to resonate. Lazarus writhed in agony while Martha desperately tried to hang on. Lazarus' greater elevation must have put him at a disadvantage, because he toppled right over Martha, and plummeted to the floor below.

A hand closed around Martha's wrist. "I've got you," Rose told her, as the organ music ceased. "Hold on."

Rose carefully hauled her up onto the platform.

"Rose?!" called the Doctor from below. "Martha!"

"I'm okay!" Rose shouted down to him. "We're both okay!"

"Thanks," Martha told Rose, collapsing on the platform beside her as they both caught their breath. Then, "Told you he'd think of something."

Rose laughed. "Still, cut it a bit fine there, didn't he?"

Martha shook her head. "More fun that way, right?"

* * *

_To be continued._


	7. And We're Off

_And now, the conclusion._

_As yet un-beta'd._

* * *

**Chapter 7 - And We're Off**

Martha opened the door to her flat, never having been more relieved in her life to see the small apartment. The Doctor and Rose followed her inside.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Martha offered, "or are you headin' straight off?"

Rose tried to answer, but was cut off by an unexpected yawn.

"We'd better be going, I think," the Doctor answered for her.

When Rose could speak again, she said, "Sorry 'bout that. But weren't you gonna call your Mum?"

Martha shrugged. Her family had been nowhere in sight when they had walked back past Lazarus Laboratories. "It can wait 'til mornin'," she said. "'Sides, if my Mum's really worried, there's nothin' to stop her from callin' here."

"Sorry they had to get mixed up in that whole business," the Doctor offered.

"Like it's your fault or somethin'?" Martha asked. "I'm just glad you were there to sort it out, runnin' for my life aside."

"It's good fun, though, isn't it?" the Doctor asked.

Martha grinned at Rose, recalling their conversation in the bell tower. "Yeah," she agreed.

"So," the Doctor began, glancing at Rose as well, "what do you say, one more trip?"

The moment of truth, thought Martha. "No," she said, with barely any hesitation. "Sorry."

"What do you mean?" asked Rose. "I thought you liked it."

"I do, but, I can't go on like this," Martha explained. "Trip after trip, never knowin' where I'll end up or when I'll get back. That's your life. I've got my own to live here, and a family to take care of, as much as they might try to drive me crazy. You've gotta take care of each other. And the rest of us." She realized that all came out a little rushed, and hoped that her friends couldn't tell she'd rehearsed that speech too many times on the walk back to her flat.

Rose and the Doctor just stared for a moment, then Rose stepped forward to hug Martha. "Well, call us if there's any more trouble, or if you change your mind or get bored," she offered.

"I will," Martha promised, letting Rose go. Then, she hugged the Doctor, too. "You'd better call when you're in town!" Martha ordered.

"We will," the Doctor promised, then stepped back to take Rose's hand. "We're quite often in town, it seems," he said, smiling down at her.

Martha caught the glint of gold on Rose's hand as the Doctor swung it between them, and she knew she really had to ask. "Um, you're really not married, right?"

They both laughed. Rose insisted, "No, we're really not."

But the Doctor amended, "Well, we've _accidentally_ gotten married a few times. Remember Stonehenge, summer solstice?" he asked Rose.

Martha thought Rose looked surprised that the Doctor hadn't denied it as readily as she had. "Yeah," Rose answered.

Really, they're just too cute, Martha thought. "If it was an accident, why're you still wearing the rings?" she asked.

She gave up trying not to smile as they both pretended to notice their left hands for the first time. The excuses started almost immediately, something about biodampers, and the hospital, and Martha knew the Doctor could babble, but Rose was giving him a run for his money. When the explanations finally ceased, they both slipped the rings off their fingers, then stood there, awkwardly.

Martha laughed out loud, but didn't bother explaining. Too cute. "Okay," she told them, holding up her cell phone. "I won't keep you much longer, but I'm gettin' a photo before you leave."

The two gladly complied, and the Doctor posed with his arm around Rose's shoulders in front of the TARDIS.

Martha couldn't help one last jab as she centered the picture. "I don't wanna know what you two get up to in the TARDIS un-chaperoned, but you'd better be sure and invite me to the real wedding."

CLICK.

She snapped a beautiful picture of their gob-smacked expressions. "Speechless," she observed. "I'm definitely saving this one." Then, waving them off, she said, "See ya!"

Rose stepped into the TARDIS with a quick "Bye," but the Doctor lingered long enough to give Martha a mock-serious warning look. Martha shrugged innocently as he followed Rose and closed the doors behind him.

In a matter of moments, the TARDIS' engines picked up, and Martha watched as the magnificent blue box disappeared. She looked around her much emptier flat, moving to pick up a few odds and ends that had been displaced. With another check of her cell phone to make sure she'd saved both the picture and Rose's number, Martha decided it was definitely time for bed. Taking a deep breath as she faced her return to reality, Martha made to leave the room.

She was stopped by her flat's phone ringing. She listened as her machine picked up, deciding she could at least reassure her Mum that she was alive.

Sure enough, Francine's voice came over the line. "Martha, it's your mother. Please, phone me back. I'm begging you." Martha felt her earlier guilt return in full force at the desperation in her Mum's voice, but before she could pick up, her Mum went on. "I know who this Doctor really is," she said. "I know he's dangerous. You're gonna get yourself killed. Please, trust me. This information comes from Harold Saxon himself. You're not safe!"

Frowning, Martha picked up the phone. "Mum?"

* * *

"I really thought she'd wanna come," Rose said, as the TARDIS returned to the Vortex.

"Well," the Doctor told her, checking the settings on the console, "we could have said it's not always this dangerous, but I think she's seen a little too much of our lives to believe that."

Rose nodded even though his back was turned. "'Sides, that really is what makes it so fun," she said with a smile.

"Still," the Doctor went on, "we'll see Martha again, I'm sure," he said as he flicked the last switch, then turned to lean on the console.

Watching her.

Hmm.

Why is this suddenly awkward she wondered, then she remembered the ring she still had concealed in her fist.

"I guess I'll turn in, then," Rose offered, gesturing towards the corridor.

"Right," said the Doctor, bouncing off of the console and taking her free hand. "Big day ahead of us, after all."

"Really? Where're we off to?" Rose asked as they headed towards her room.

"No idea," he told her, smiling.

"You're just that impressive," she said, grinning right back.

"I do try," he agreed. "Not that hard, mind, it comes rather easily."

Rose nudged him in the side, and just like that, they were at her door. The phrase "un-chaperoned" came to mind, as the Doctor stopped with her, still holding her hand and brushing his thumb over the back of it.

Awkward or not, they at least seemed to be on the same page. When Rose made to face him, the Doctor turned right into her, his free hand coming to her waist.

Rose toyed with his undone bowtie, tugging it with the pinky of her fisted hand. "I do like the tux," she told him, finally meeting his eyes.

She watched him swallow as she brushed the exposed skin at his neck. "Guess it's not so bad," he allowed. "Not as many pockets as I'd like."

"Look who's talkin'," Rose countered, glancing down at her evening gown.

Of course, that encouraged the Doctor to glance down, too. Rose could feel her face heat up, especially when he answered, "Seemed to me like that dress has got plenty of storage space."

"Shut up," she told him.

"Make me?" he asked, his eyes quite obviously focused on her lips.

His invitation alone stole her breath. Still, she complied readily enough, freeing her hand from his, snaking her arms around his neck, and pulling him down to her.

She only had one hand free to run through his hair, the other still clasped around the pretend wedding ring, but she took full advantage of the kiss to see just how a scrape of her nails here, or a tug of his hair there made him hum or even gasp. As her fingers brushed along his sideburns, and up into the longer hair on top of his head, she couldn't help but think of the last him and his short-cropped buzz cut.

Maybe pressed against her bedroom door wasn't the most appropriate place for it, but Rose giggled.

The Doctor pulled back, breaking the kiss but still keeping her firmly in his arms. With a wounded expression on his face, he asked, "Care to share the joke?"

Unfortunately, above his wounded expression was a thoroughly mussed head of hair, which only sent Rose further into hysterics.

She held his face as reassuringly as she could as her laughter at last came under control. "I just," she began, catching her breath, "I just was thinkin' of your last haircut," she admitted. His eyebrows rose. "An' I was wonderin' what this would've been like--but don't you dare think of cuttin' it!" she warned, before he completely misconstrued her confession.

For a moment, the Doctor just looked at her like she was crazy, and Rose was afraid she'd said exactly the wrong thing. But suddenly, he gave her a huge grin. "You wanna live dangerously?" he asked, hearkening back to their conversation in the console room. "Oh, have I got a surprise in store for you!"

The Doctor twisted her around, spinning her out from himself, then back into his arms like some kind of crazy dance move. In her surprise, Rose finally let her ring slip from her grip, and watched as it bounced through the floor grating, down into the lower decks of the TARDIS.

"Don't worry about it," he told her. "I'll get you a new one, if you like." Rose blinked. A new--was that--did he just... propose? Don't be ridiculous, she told herself. "But first, we've got to get you out of those clothes," he continued. Forget "proposed to", did she just get propositioned? "Something casual, whenever you think you're up to it," he told her with a note of finality, bending to kiss her quite thoroughly. In an instant, he let her go and headed off straight back to the console room.

Her head was spinning. Rose couldn't be certain of anything in the universe in that moment, except for that fact.

* * *

_The end._

_And that's it. Over a year in the making, but thanks to everyone who hung in there and poked and prodded me into writing more._

_Of course, "42" is up next, followed closely by "Human Nature"...._


End file.
